Familia, Per Sempre
by coopacabras
Summary: While there's no question that the Vongola Don loves his guardians, even the most tolerant of people have to wonder how Decimo survives on a day-to-day basis. It's a question not even Tsuna himself seems to know the answer to just yet.
1. The Vase Case

In the middle of replying to a letter of thanks from one of their allied families, the Vongola Decimo suddenly stills. His brows furrow, lips purse, and, after a split second, he leans back in his comfortable, leather chair. He's gripping the arm of his seat, straining his neck to hear...nothing. He hears nothing at all.

Confusion clouds his mind, shadowed by an inkling of concern at this abrupt revelation. He forgets all about the task at hand, his pen falling from his fingers as he stands, though he doesn't leave his spot from behind the desk just yet. Although it's obvious something's not quite right, he can't decide if this unnatural silence should warrant any anxiety.

After a moment of internal battle, he reaches for some colored folders stacked one on top of the other in the right hand corner of his desk. He grabs the first four and sifts through him quickly. By the time he's finished, he has his answer: the Vongola mansion should not be so eerily quiet, not upon one of those rare coincidences when all of his guardians should be home from their missions, roaming the halls and wreaking havoc. The only exception being Hibari Kyoya, who rarely bunks there when he's not a mission.

Carelessly tossing the folders back on to his desk (something Tsuna only indulges in when Reborn's not around) the brunette then tucks his hand into his suit pocket and feels reassurance in the soft material that his gloves are made of before making his way towards his office door. He turns the knob and pokes his head passed the threshold, turning his head left then right. The halls are still and quiet. The emptiness emphasizes the grandiosity of the mansion all the more, Tsuna notes, craning his head to peer towards the ceiling.

Having concluded that there was no other person around, Tsuna steps out hesitantly. As he peers down the barren stretch of hall, he wonders if maybe this is Mukuro's doing. His mist guardian, while seemingly well-intentioned, found he enjoys spending his off time trying to prank the boss. The majority of the time Tsuna's hyper intuition kicks in and spoils the other man's plans, but that's not to say he hasn't been duped by the hetero-chromatic Italian a few times before.

But even as he thinks it, the Vongola boss knows it's nothing like that. As far as he can tell, the floor is void of anyone. There's not even the occasional staff member that accidentally stumbles near his office while Tsuna is working, though they've been asked not to. Of course, that's really only because Tsuna strikes up conversation with them in trying to get out paperwork, much to the chagrin of Reborn.

So the out-of-place silence can only mean one of two things: the mansion is under some type of illusionary attack or his family is up to something and they don't want Tsuna to know. Considering the Vongola's strength, Tsuna has a feeling it's the latter.

With that unwelcome thought in mind, the twenty-five year old gives a resigned sigh and sets out to find his familia.

After ten years of rigorous, and occasionally life threatening, experiences together, Tsuna deems it safe to assume he knows his guardians fairly well. That's not including the fact that living all as one underneath the roof of the Vongola mansion had opened him up to many personal details about his family that the brunette could have gone another few years without knowing. Among other things, of course.

That's why it only takes him a mere thirty minutes of searching before he finally stumbles across their whispered voices drifting from behind the closed doors of the parlor. It's comical almost. While it's clear they're attempting to keep their voices at a hushed murmur, Tsuna can make out Hayato and Ryohei from down the hall.

"You idiot. This was Juudaime's favorite!" Tsuna blinks in confusion, pausing in his steps. His hand is just mere inches from the door handle. His head tilts at Hayato's tone; his right hand man hadn't gotten so worked up for a good while now. What on earth was he going on about anyway?

"Tsuna is extremely understanding!" Ryohei shoots back. Tsuna doesn't think the other man is trying all too hard to hide his own loud rumble of a voice if the resounding shushing noises are of any indication. At least Gokudera put forth an effort for a moment. "Kangaryuu just got extremely pumped for training and wasn't looking!"

Vongola Decimo's loyal best friend lets out an enraged groan, "Keep a damn leash on that thing if it's going to keep breaking Juudaime's precious items!" Cue Ryohei's offended yell and the sounds of a scuffle beginning behind the closed doors.

Tsuna's about to intervene when another voice suddenly cuts in. Takeshi's soothing tone floats through the wooden framework and the brunette can't help but smile at his rain guardian's easy-going nature. "Now, now, Hayato, Ryohei, I'm sure Tsuna won't be too upset about it. You know he doesn't like us all fighting so why don't we just calm down and get it all cleaned up?"

Silence envelops the next minute and Tsuna finally decides to make an entrance. He pushes the heavy, ornate wooden doors open. Immediately his eyes land on Hayato and Ryohei, who are knelt on the ground. The younger of the two has a dustpan in his hand while the other holds a brush. Takeshi stands off to the side with a plastic trash bag falling from his hands.

Tsuna's three guardian's have all frozen from their prior endeavors; three pairs of surprised eyes look up at him. His own chocolate-brown orbs are drawn to the mess at the center of all the commotion: a small pile of broken pieces of white glass, all different jagged shapes and sizes, with an obvious intricate design painted on certain sections. Of course, he recognizes it in seconds.

"Oh." Tsuna breathes out, a frown tugging at his lips and his brows knit together. His shoulders slump as he closes the short distance between the other men. Kneeling on the ground on one knee, his hand reaches out to pick up a piece of the broken vase, holding it as delicately as possible while running his thumb over the smooth glass. "This was my favorite one." He finally says. It's not accusatory or upset, though he is a bit down trodden to know he'll never see the beautiful decoration when he enters the parlor. Accidents happen and being around this group of eccentric guardians have taught Tsuna as much. It's just-

A sigh passes his lips as Tsuna stands and turns to Takeshi, dropping the glass into the trash bag the latter held. "Yuni gave me that one as a housewarming gift. Do you remember?" There's silence that meets him and the fond smile on the brunette's face droops a bit. He pulls out of his memories and turns to look at his friends who are looking abashedly at the floor. Red splatters their faces. Even Takeshi looks slightly ashamed now.

Tsuna blinks and lets out a short laugh, shaking his head in an exasperated fondness that only his family seems to be able to pull out of him. "Oh, would you all stop looking like kicked puppies? I'm not mad. It was an accident, right?"

His words set off a flurry of motion. Gokudera and Ryohei both stand abruptly, shouting accusations and curses at one another, while also throwing their arms and hands every which way as they try to explain what happened to Tsuna. Yamamoto is laughing awkwardly, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as he stands next to their boss, who, for the life of him, is looking like he wished he'd never said a thing.

"I'm so sorry, Juudaime! I would have stopped this good for nothing idiot if I had known he was going to be barreling through here with that annoying box animal of his!"

"What was that, octopus head?! Don't insult Kangaryuu unless you want an extreme beat down!"

"Oi, shut it, turf top! This is the fifth vase you've broken this month! How many times do we have to tell you not to practice inside, you imbecile!"

"We were on our way outside! It was your fault for getting in the way! It would still be in one piece if you could handle our extreme power!"

"Why you—I'll show you extreme power!"

"Now, now, come on you two"

"Shut up, baseball idiot! He broke Juudaime's precious vase! I have to do something about it!"

Tsuna sighs, running a hand through his spiky hair as he listens to the yelling all around him. No matter how composed and mature they can act, his guardians really haven't changed that much in ten years. It's amazing the Vongola mansion has any sort of decorative material with how often fights break out or _extreme_ accidents occur. Decimo figured it was only a matter of time for his favorite vase to get in the way. What will he tell Yuni though?

"Oya oya, what's all this? Has the right hand man failed to protect his boss' treasured belongings? What a shame. You really are no good at this, Gokudera Hayato."

All heads turn to the parlor door where Mukuro leans against the threshold, a mischievous smirk in place as he takes in the scene. He appears to have just passed by, but Tsuna has a feeling the illusionist deliberately sought out the place he could cause the most trouble.

"Mukuro, don't antagonize Hayato." Tsuna reprimands gently, arching a brow at the other man.

"Kufufu, I wouldn't dream of it, Tsunayoshi. I was simply pointing out your lackey's mistake. Perhaps it's time to think of a new right hand, neh?"

That does it.

"What was that, you bastard?! I'm the only one fit to be juudaime's right hand man! Don't go getting any ideas!"

Gokudera lunges, but Yamamoto is there to hook his arms underneath the silver head's to hold him back, much to the displeasure of Hayato. While the bomber's attention is diverted, Tsuna turns to glare at his mist guardian, who only smirks and shrugs in response. The yelling behind him has grown in volume and Tsuna realizes Ryohei has once more found his way in the fray, evidently using Mukuro's small jab as ammunition against Gokudera.

_Honestly, what am I going to do with this family? _Tsuna thinks, rubbing his temples to soothe the oncoming headache.

While there's no question that the Vongola Don loves his guardians, even the most tolerant of people have to wonder how Decimo survives on a day-to-day basis. It's a question not even Tsuna himself seems to know the answer to just yet.

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><p><strong>Do not fret! Although this may seem a familiar story to one or two of you, it is not copied nor stolen nor anything of the sort.<strong>

**Unfortunately, I forgot my email address for my former account of which this story was originally posted on so there was no possible way for me to continue this series without making a new account. As you can see, I finally got around to doing just that and I'm planning on getting this up and running once more!**

**With that being said, this just so happens to be chapter-by-chapter happenings of Tsuna's life as the head of Vongola and the trouble he, his guardians, and the other lovely members of KHR get up to. **

**I'd like to update weekly, but there's no set dates just yet. No matter, I hope to have Enma or Yuni in the second chapter so at least there's something to look forward to.**

**Thank you for time, m'dears. I hope you enjoyed it (and please forgive any errors as I have no beta reader, only the computerized help of FF's editing button). **


	2. To the Future

The coronation passed with no problems.

Eighteen year old Tsuna, clad in his best suit and surrounded with his six (seven, including Chrome) guardians, formally accepted his title as Vongola Decimo under the watchful eyes of various allied families, the irritable glare of the Varia, and the prideful gaze of his father, his home tutor, and his closest friends.

He had been a nervous wreck before the ceremony began. Even as he courteously greeted all who approached him, there was a harried and frightened way to him that only those who had stayed by his side for years on end would recognize. His guardians all attempted to soothe the boss in their own way. Even Hibari and Mukuro inadvertently reigned in their disastrous ways to some extent, though they would never admit to such actions. His father and Dino assured him it would be fine, that their was nothing to worry about, and it'd be over quicker than he realized. Reborn knocked him upside the head, teasingly warned that he couldn't make a fool of himself in front of so many mafioso, before reminding him of the growth he had accumulated over the years and the man he had now become.

Tsuna appreciated every bit of their kind words and attempts, but it only barely scratched the surface of his frenzied thoughts. While he was no longer as clumsy or self-deprecating as he had been in younger years, Tsuna couldn't help but wonder if his no-good way would rear its ugly head once more. It bothered him for the entire evening and never so much so as when the entire process started, though he schooled his face into something far less worried and much more business like.

Thankfully, as his father and Dino had said, everything passed by fairly quickly. The position was handed down with stern words and steady promises and suddenly everyone was back to mingling and making small talk. Mostly, they were all attempting to speak to Tsuna, who was surrounded by mobsters on all side. They were all vying to get his attention, wanting to get in good with the new boss of the strongest family to exist in the present time. Tsuna took it all in stride. He smiled respectively, arranged future meetings, and established contacts with a few here and there.

Still, the knot of dread tightened in his stomach as more and more unfamiliar faces bombarded him. He was trained to not show one hint of vulnerability, which he did well, but he couldn't help feeling overwhelmed. He barely had time to contemplate the new life ahead of him before being thrown into the shark pit.

To be fair, Gokudera and Yamamoto stuck close to his side and worked to keep many people at a fair distance. The others, like Ryohei and Chrome, flanked his peripheral, while his Mukuro and Hibari were likely monitoring from outside the lavish Italian mansion. His friends had fallen into their role as effortlessly as Tsuna had his so it was natural that they tried to protect their cherished boss from such pushy people, but when a room of mafioso wanted something, it was unlikely they'd back down after just one failed attempt. At least the majority of them were respectful enough.

Nonetheless, after almost three hours of greetings and hard-hitting talk, Tsuna decided he needed a break. He told Gokudera and Yamamoto he was going to sneak away and get some fresh air. They initially wanted to go with him, but Tsuna had talked them down. He promised he'd only be a few minutes and he had Hibari and Mukuro looking after him should anything occur; that didn't assure them at all, but one look from their boss made it clear he would listen to no negative words about his mist and cloud guardians. He trusted them both and that would be the end of that. Besides, Tsuna was so quick to fall into hyper dying will mode now that it was unlikely anything _could _get to him before he was on it. Eventually, his childhood friends stood down, though they eyed Tsuna's retreating form warily as he slinked away to the back of the room, where the large glass door leading to a huge stone terrace were.

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><p>Tsuna had only been outside a few seconds when he heard the latch of the door behind him. He repressed a sigh, closing his eyes tiredly. Of course. He could find no peace in a room full of people fighting for his attention. That would be too kind of the universe.<p>

Putting on a mask of pleasant surprise, Tsuna turned to face the newcomer. Almost immediately, his façade faded and a genuine smile lit up his face.

"Enma!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms around the petite red-head once the latter had approached him.

Enma returned the hug with no questions asked, wrapping his wiry arms around the brunette tightly. He buried his nose into the crook of Tsuna's neck and a grin appeared on both their faces as they stood there. Tsuna enjoyed the company of his best friend, perhaps the one who he had the deepest connection with, after such a hurried night whereas Enma simply reveled in the fact that he had managed to get Tsuna alone and away from the rough crowd inside.

Years had passed since the fight that had nearly torn apart their friendship and Tsuna and Enma were closer than ever. They had put up with bullies and enemy families and wild guardians together and, instinctively, they had forged a bond so deep, it could hardly be understood by any other around them. Now, both were on the path to fulfilling an inescapable destiny-Enma's coronation had been two months prior, in fact. At the very least, they had the support of one another as they fell headfirst into such unfamiliar terrain.

"I was wondering where you had gotten off to." Tsuna voiced as he unwillingly broke the embrace.

Enma reddened (a habit he had never really grown out of) and shrugged.

"It was loud in there. Busy too. I couldn't find a good time to jump into the fray." The shorter boy admitted sheepishly.

Tsuna groaned, shaking his head back and forth dramatically.

"Everywhere I turn, there's someone who wants to start trade or discuss this or talk about that or get lunch sometime. I don't think I've ever had such a headache."

Despite his complaining, a small smile lingered on Tsuna's face as he took in the dapper form of his best friend. Enma, in turn, was laughing quietly at him. His amusement was clear though there was a small ounce of pity in his eyes. He couldn't say he understood how overwhelming it must be. There wasn't a large crowd at his coronation, all things considered, but, as word of his association with Tsuna spread, more and more requests were landing on his desk. So, at least, he was coming to some understanding.

"You only have a couple of more hours left. Then you can rest."

Along with his encouraging words, Enma had rested his hand on Tsuna's shoulder and squeezed. Tsuna gave the shorter a boy a grateful glance as reply. A few moments of silence passed as they watched the starry night sky above them. They weren't particularly thinking of much, which was a rarity in itself anymore, and the calm atmosphere worked to quell the nerves that hadn't dissipated upon Enma's arrival.

"I didn't think I'd end up here." Tsuna admitted suddenly.

The brunette still had his eyes locked on the expanse of sky above them when Enma looked over at him. He said nothing though and let Tsuna continue with his thoughts.

"I mean, I fought it for so long. I really didn't want this. I was grateful for the friends I made along the way and the confidence I gained. I was really happy that I could finally protect the people I cared about. But, even so, I never wanted it to be under these circumstances."

Tsuna drops his gaze and Enma fears he'll see a hint of regret or bitterness intrude Tsuna's passive being. While he could understand it completely, having at once felt the same as the Vongola beside him, Enma had believed Tsuna to be accepting of all that was to come. He wouldn't have gone through with the inheritance otherwise...would he?

Hesitantly, Enma searches Tsuna's face once more and is surprised to find not a hint of remorse in the boy next to him. In fact, Tsuna has a small smile on now, and he appears lost in his thoughts as his eyes are burning brightly the way they do when he is in the midst of battle. When Tsuna speaks once more, the wistfulness that had sounded so prominent before appears to have disappeared all together.

"Only, now that I'm here, I feel..." He pauses, shakes his head, thinks for a second.

"Determined." Enma supplies. He's surprised the word escapes his mouth, but he realizes quickly that there is no other way to describe the feeling. He felt it too, after his own procession. It seems to be the right thing to say too, as Tsuna wheels around to face him, a grin on hand and his eyes shining passionately.

"Exactly! I want to do this. I _know_ I can do this, Enma. I can make the Vongola what it used to be, what it was meant to be. Everything that Primo worked for, I finally have the chance to do that and, the best part is, I can do with the people I love right by my side."

Tsuna wraps Enma up in a tight hug once more, which Enma hurriedly returns, and says, "I'm scared too, of course. There's so much danger going into this, for everyone, but I can protect you all now. I have that power and I've never felt it so strongly before. It's like-I just-I feel liberated, Enma."

Tsuna pulls back from the smaller boy once more. He looks rejuvenated and prepared to face the horde of people who have no doubt started wondering where he's at. It revitalized Enma's own usually timid nature and a grin blooms before he can stop himself.

Tsuna returns it whole-heartedly before clasping Enma's hand in his own and tugging him towards the door and back to the party.

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><p><strong>Ahh, I'm not happy with this.<strong>

**This is my fourth document pertaining to the second chapter. I could not, for the life of me, decide what I wanted to write on. I ended up stopping mid-way and starting over completely so many times. All of the ideas were okay, but I couldn't formulate the words. I'm surprised I managed to squeeze this much out, to be honest. I'm not even sure it makes a lot of sense though.**

**I really just wanted to write with Enma or Yuni. I love Enma so much. He's such a precious little thing and I think he and Tsuna have both gone through such similar treatment that it'd forge this unbreakable bond between the two. I guess it came across as a bit shippy though, which, truth be told, might have been unconsciously my fault.**

**I also had to mess with a bit with timelines and story lines. I knew Enma was the tenth boss, but I didn't know if he had a ceremony prior to the inheritance arc and, honestly, a lot of details were fudged for this. It's been awhile since I've read the last bit of the manga so forgive me. **

**Also, again, this is being corrected by nothing more than the computer so I'm sorry for any mistakes. Reviews are always welcome so I know if you enjoyed it or not! Or if you'd be willing to send me scenarios you'd like to see, that'd be awesome. I think Mukuro will be the main focus of the next chapter. He's my favorite~.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading! xo  
><strong>


	3. Gratitude

Tsuna's been in the medical wing for seven hours now.

Hayato and Takeshi have been in and out multiple times, but they're both busy trying to keep everything up and going while the boss remains on bed rest. He's told them each time they visit him that his wound is not even that bad, but they insist he stay down until Ryohei arrives from Japan.

At the very least, his hospital bed is nice and comfortable and just so happens to be right next to a window. He opened it halfway through the morning to get some fresh air and now the light spring breeze continues to waft through the room. It calms him, but not so much that he can ignore his frustration at being coddled by his guardians and the staff. He understands that they're worried, but he has a lot of work to get back to and it only grows the longer he's confined to this part of the house.

It's been about an hour since his last check-in and Tsuna's been forced to face his growing boredom on his own. With no phone, computer, or TV to keep him busy, he's taken to memorizing every bit of the outside scenery that he can see from his window seat.

Of course, if he's being honest, there isn't actually much to see. The medical wing is on the first floor of the mansion, but it's on a completely different side from the really beautiful parts of the yard. Things like the bright and colorful flowers in the garden or the grand fountain that runs all day and sometimes attracts little birds are scarce. In fact, the only thing he can really spot is the huge hedge maze that he'd gotten lost in on one too many occasions when he first moved to Italy.

After thirty minutes of his light brown eyes passing over the same things ten different times, Tsuna finally decides to settle in his bed and try to sleep. He's not really tired, but he can see no harm in a nap, especially since he's got nothing more to do.

His eyes had only been shut for a few minutes when a voice suddenly broke the peaceful silence that had enveloped him.

"Oya? Have I caught the young Vongola at a bad time?"

Recognizing the teasing, and somewhat condescending, tone of his mist guardian, Tsuna's brown eyes open and immediately hone in on the other man, who's perched on the ledge of the window.

Tsuna's welcome for any distraction at this point so he smiles at Mukuro, rather than the weary sigh he'd usually give him, and sits up so they'd be at equal eye level with one another.

"I didn't know you were back in Italy." Tsuna comments, tilting his head to the side. By instinct, he scans his friend for any injuries or any sign that something may be wrong. He had started to do it every time one of his guardians came back from a mission, no matter how simple of a run it might have been. He was their boss and, most importantly, their friend. If any of them returned hurt, he was the first by their side, despite his limited medical knowledge.

"I just got in." Mukuro replies, holding up a file that is sure to be the mandatory mission report. Though, the only reason Tsuna ever gets one from his mist guardian is because of Chrome.

"Did it go well?"

Mukuro nods, but his eyes glint mischievously and Tsuna just knows he's going to be writing an apology letter to some family in the near future.

"How bad is it?"

Tsuna's confused at the question for a moment, unsure what Mukuro is asking about, before he remembers just where he is.

"It's nothing really," He begins, waving his hand in a dismissive manner as he does, "I got nicked by Takeshi's sword while we were sparring. It was only twenty-seven stitches and it doesn't really hurt anymore." It was more of a dull ache in his shoulder, at this point. At least it had stopped bleeding through the bandages.

Mukuro can only roll his eyes. After so many years of being in the mafia, twenty-seven stitches really isn't that big of a deal, but, still, Tsuna was being so nonchalant about it that it was almost irksome. It was never a big deal when he was wounded, but God forbid his guardians should even be scratched at some point.

"Why are you here and not in your room?"

It's Tsuna's turn to roll his eyes, groaning dramatically as he does. "Hayato doesn't think I should be doing anything before Ryohei can heal it. He thinks I'm going to sneak into my office and do work if they let me go anywhere but here." Which, he probably would, but still.

Mukuro laughs at the pout on Tsuna's face, which only causes the latter's frown to deepen.

"It's not funny! It's very boring here. We really should get some entertainment in this place."

At that, Tsuna begins to think of all the adjustments that could be made and soon gets lost in all the calculating and plans, while Mukuro simply watches from his perch on the window ledge.

The boss (not his boss, Mukuro refuses to call him as such) was certainly an odd guy. Ten years ago, he had never been able to drift away like so in the presence of Mukuro. He'd be a frightened mess and completely distrusting of the man who so often claimed he would one day have his body and mind. But now, Tsuna was completely at ease with the entire situation. He had given Mukuro his trust, put his life in the older man's hands on more than one occasion, and had never questioned his mist guardian.

Though he wouldn't admit it, a part of Mukuro was grateful. He would always hate the mafia and the things he was put through because of them, but he wasn't blind to the influence of the Vongola Decimo. So, while he would never admit it, he could at least show something akin to gratitude at times, right?

"Eh? Mukuro? What's this?"

Tsuna questions, staring down at the box that Mukuro had suddenly dumped into his lap while he had been off in his head.

"Doughnuts, Tsunayoshi. "

Mukuro answers simply. He appears very interested in something unseen in the horizon all of a sudden.

"You got these for me?"

All Tsuna gets in return is a non-committal shrug, but a smile lights up his face and he laughs quietly.

"Thank you, Mukuro. Would you like to share them?"

But that seems to be Mukuro's quota for the day because when Tsuna's brown eyes return to the spot Mukuro had been, the illusionist is gone with only the box of pastries in Tsuna's lap to indicate he had been there at all.

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><p><strong>Ahh, Mukuro seems very out-of-character here, but that wasn't really my intention. It was a combination of how I feel he'd been in the future and the fact that I didn't really give him any spoken lines so I could work to get his cheeky personality across. Sigh, oh well-I hope you still think it's cute at least because I certainly enjoyed it. <strong>

**I'm certain this is partially based on a fanart I saw like four years ago, but I can't seem to locate it anymore. Chrome was in it and they were in their school uniforms and such, but that's all I can recall. It was cute and I have a soft spot for cute Tsuna and Mukuro interactions.**

**This was also a lot shorter than I thought it was, but I had time to work on it today because I'm out of school due to snow. Once I started writing, I couldn't find a better place to end it. So yay. **

**Anyway, I apologize for any mistakes, but I scoured it through this time so I hope that takes care of most of them. Also, I'm pumped for a second season of Free! so I might be spinning up a bit of something for that soon. Keep an eye out, okay?**

**I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading! Reviews are always welcome and so are suggestions for future chapters! (I'm debating doing a Valentine's themed one, yes/no?)**


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